A Daimyo's Love
by bachiari
Summary: As a favor to the Third Hokage and in order to please his wife, the Fire Daimyo takes Naruto in as a baby, hoping to raise him into a grand Hokage. Strong!Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A Daimyo's Love  
><strong>Summary:<strong> As a favor to the Third Hokage and in order to please his wife, the Fire Daimyo takes Naruto in as a baby, hoping to raise him to become a great Hokage. Strong!Naruto.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Don't own Naruto.

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><p><strong>Prologue: The Very Beginning<strong>

bachiari

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><p>Sarutobi was worried. He glanced over at the baby sleeping in the make-shift cradle near his desk, and watched absently as the kid made soft baby sounds as he shifted in the fluffy blankets. He really looked a lot like his father; the hair was the same brilliant yellow, and when his eyes were open, the color was the same brilliant blue. The only thing that really set them apart was the whisker marks on the boy's cheeks.<p>

However, the demon that resided in Naruto made him a prime target for abuse. Even without letting others know the boy's true origin, Naruto was in for a rough time. Sarutobi would've taken Naruto in for himself, but the Council wouldn't stand for it. Already, there were huge arguments of whether to execute or exile the boy, for almost everyone feared the demon inside of him. Some clan heads were silent about the issue, not wanting to get caught up in the fight, but silence and neutrality wouldn't save the boy.

Fortunately, Sarutobi had come up with a grand compromise. He had gotten a letter from the daimyo a while back, in which he complained rather eloquently about the lack of children his wife was giving him. He needed an heir soon, before he croaked, or else his advisors would be majorly angry. Though many did not know it, Sarutobi and the fire daimyo got along pretty well, especially since the daimyo admired his student Jiraiya so much. Sarutobi suspected it was because of the perverted books Jiraiya had written, but Sarutobi liked them too, so it wasn't as if he could complain.

Smiling, Sarutobi placed his hands in a familiar seal and made a shadow clone of himself. Leaving the shadow clone in the Hokage's seat, he leaned over and picked up the small baby. He also took a moment to gather some scrolls, placing a blood seal on them in order to make it more secure. While his Anbu and the council wouldn't like him leaving the village without any warning, he was the strongest ninja for a reason. Handing the small baby in his heads to Tenzou, his head captain Anbu who almost always watched over the Hokage, the two of them set off into the night.

When they arrived at the Daimyo's palace, the daimyo welcomed him with open arms. Sarutobi could tell that the man was extremely shocked at their arrival, and even more shocked that they had the gall to enter his bedroom without notice, but the daimyo didn't question it until they were all behind closed doors. Sarutobi knew it was rude, but he didn't want to risk anyone learning that Naruto was really from Konoha, lest they put two and two together and figure out that Naruto was actually the Nine Tail's vessel. Fortunately, no one in Konoha had seen the boy, so Naruto should be safe as long as he kept a low profile.

"Sarutobi, my old friend," started the daimyo, his mouth pulled into a confused frown. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Kazuki," started the Hokage, before the daimyo ushered him to a nice chair for him to rest. While the daimyo's palace wasn't too far, for it had only taken Tenzou and the Hokage a few hours running at a fast speed to reach there, it still slightly winded the old man. He wasn't as young as he used to be after all. Not to mention he had spent all his energy arguing with the council before they had set out. "Forgive me for coming on such short notice."

Kazuki raised his eyebrows, no doubt wondering what the Hokage was talking about. Forget short notice, there hadn't even _been_ a notice. Kazuki didn't mention anything though, just nodding, and before leaving to rouse his wife from her side of the bed. She woke quietly, complaining under her breath that she needed her beauty sleep, before realizing that someone else was in the room. Her husband handed her the robe she had laid on one of the chairs, and she slipped it on before coming to stand next to her husband in front of the Hokage.

"Hello, Sarutobi-san," she spoke in her lilting tone and with a graceful smile on her face.

"Hello, Shimiji-san," smiled the Hokage. "I read your letter, Kazuki, and I heard about your problem relating to children. I have a newborn with me right now; however, his parents have died in a conflict and cannot raise him anymore. Due to special circumstances, no one in the village wants to take him in, and I fear for his safety if he remains in Konoha. I did not know where else to turn, and then I remembered the letter you had sent me. He is a bright child, and will do wonderfully in the palace."

Kazuki looked puzzled, and seemed to be mulling it over. However, Shimiji gave a happy squeal, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Kazuki, just think! A child of our own! But where is he? You said you brought him with you, right?"

Sarutobi smiled at the young wife of the daimyo; he rather liked her. "My assistant has him. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, please."

Sarutobi didn't even bother to gesture to his Anbu, knowing that Tenzou would have been listening to the conversation anyway. Soon, the man entered through the window, being proficient enough to open the window and close it after him without the two civilians noticing. He handed the clothed baby to the wife, and she took him from him, not even mentioning how strange it was for Tenzou to be able to get in from the window. Apparently, Kazuki had already told her about the wonders of ninja and what they could do.

She cooed happily at the baby, lifting the cover of the hood to reveal baby blue eyes. Naruto stared up at her, his tiny lips pursed into a little confused pout, before suddenly lifting his arms up at her. He made a series of baby sounds, and Shimiji made another happy squeal. "Kazuki!" she excitedly yelped like a child. "I think he likes me." She smiled down at little Naruto with kindness in her eyes. Sarutobi couldn't help but think he had made the right choice in that very moment. Seeing Shimiji react in the way only a mother could, only made his heart soar with hope. Naruto would be given a family here, something that could have never happened in Konoha.

Kazuki left his wife cooing at Naruto to walk closer to Sarutobi, drawing him aside to talk to him in low tones. "Special circumstances? Sarutobi, just who were his parents?"

Sarutobi considered lying to the man for a split second, before coming to the decision that lying would do no good to his future parents. It was better for Kazuki to reject Naruto for who he is now, than to find out later and throw him out then. "His name is Naruto Namikaze. His parents were the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki."

Kazuki mulled it over for a bit, before speaking up again, "But if he was the child of the Fourth Hokage, would not everyone want to adopt him? It is certainly prestigious."

"Kazuki, I have been your friend for many years now," started Sarutobi reluctantly. He did not want this to fail, because Sarutobi truly did not want to see Naruto resigned to a horrible fate in the village. "Trust me when I say this, this child is not a monster. A demon has been sealed inside of him, and he holds it back from destroying the world."

"A demon?" asked Kazuki, and Sarutobi took in his alarmed eyes and the way he glanced hurriedly back at his wife and knew the man was concerned.

"The Hokage himself gave up his life to seal it away. The seal is perfect, and will not break. The demon itself though, will bring Naruto to greatness." He knew he was pushing it on a little thick, but he really needed this to work.

Kazuki looked reluctant, but he continued the conversation, "So the villagers see him as the demon itself?"

Sarutobi sighed a long withering sigh, "Yes."

"That is foolish," finished Kazuki, and a small smile flittered over the man's face. "He is not the demon, himself; one only has to look at the baby to know that."

"Thank you, old friend," said Sarutobi, and he, himself, could not stop a smile from spreading across his face. "You have saved me a great deal of heartache."

Kazuki laughed, his eyes twinkling. "It helps that he is the son of the fourth Hokage, however. Wouldn't it be grand, if little Naruto himself, could become Hokage? It would only forge our ties even tighter, Sarutobi. Much better than trying to force my sister," here he scowled in memory, "to marry your Fourth Hokage. I am glad that she had run away, rather than being forced in a marriage she did not want."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement, remembering the chaos that had come with Kazuki's father's decree. Fearing rebellion from Konoha, the past daimyo had ordered Minato to take on his daughter as a wife. Fortunately, the girl had ran away with the man she had truly loved, saving Minato from giving up his life to marry a woman he did not love. It was through that hardship that Kazuki and he had become such good friends.

"I cannot take him as my heir, Sarutobi, but considering his lineage, he would not do fine in a pompous and stuffy position such as mine," murmured the man, though his eyes still held mirth. He was using the words Sarutobi had used himself to describe the position the man in front of him held. Rather than take it as an insult though, Kazuki enjoyed the description, agreeing that the position wasn't all it had been made out to be. "But, with your help and mine, we can make him into a grand Hokage."

Sarutobi nodded, a pleased smile on his face. "I only ask for you to allow him to visit Konoha to pass the genin test when he is twelve. He cannot be Hokage if he does not rise through the ranks after all."

"Of course, but in return, I am expecting the best tutors you can spare," said the daimyo seriously, though there was a hint of smile playing at his lips. "I am already thinking of asking my Twelve Guardians to mentor him, but it would be nice to have some scrolls for him to learn from. There are not many ninjas here, after all, old friend."

Sarutobi tilted his head, before reaching into his robe to pull out two tightly sealed scrolls. "The green one contains a skill called the Kage Bunshin. It would greatly aid his training. Do not give it to him until he tells you he cannot master the bunshin. I can already tell he is going to have great reserves, being the son of the Hokage himself, and also because he is Minato's son, he would most likely have great trouble with the technique. The second scroll contains a technique created by Minato himself, though he should only be given the scroll when he has proved himself a great ninja. Tenzou," he paused to gesture back toward his attendant who was now teaching Shimiji how to prepare baby milk, "will come tell you when. Both are only activated by his blood."

Kazuki made a funny face, "By his blood? Barbaric," he teased, but he took the scrolls with extreme care, setting them aside on his dresser. "Now come, I want to get a closer look at my new son."

And with that, Naruto's fate had been drastically changed.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Fitting In<strong>

bachiari

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><p>It didn't take long for questions to pop up. Kazuki and Shimiji tried to integrate their newborn son as best as they could into their palace life, but no matter what they did, they could never keep the servants from gossiping. Thankfully, Shimiji had the foresight to use make-up to cover Naruto's whisker marks before anyone but their most loyal servants saw the marks, but even making his skin look flawless did not make the child look any more like the Daimyo.<p>

Of course, Kazuki had announced to the palace that they had adopted Naruto (with the boy's bright blonde hair, there wasn't much they could do to lie that one off) but the main question still remained: where had the couple gotten the boy?

Fortunately, the position of the daimyo was revered for a reason. One didn't piss off the daimyo if one wanted to live. And as life progressed, there were still questions, but servants learned to keep their mouths shut, and foreign diplomats treated Naruto like he should be treated: a respected individual of the daimyo's family. It helped that with Naruto's sunkissed hair and baby blue eyes, the boy looked simply adorable. At least that's what Shimiji said, and what Shimiji said, most of the women dutifully repeated. Though Shimiji adamantly declared that her baby was the cutest out of them all, and that of course the women would love him.

Their new baby was very energetic. He would demand milk at the oddest times of the night, and he would drink large quantities of it. At first, Kazuki worried over it and had contacted Sarutobi about it, but had settled down about it once he realized that the boy would need lots of food to keep up his chakra reserves. He thought that the boy would grow fat, with all those extra unneeded calories, but apparently, the boy was energetic enough to keep skinny. When he had learned to crawl at six months, he went _everywhere_ and the servants went frantic looking for him half the time. Luckily, the boy seemed to possess an extraordinary amount of luck and always turned up, unscathed, even among the multiple pieces of weaponry around the palace.

When Naruto turned three, Kazuki hired a private tutor for him. The man taught Naruto how to read and write, and once Naruto got that down, he was moved along to politics and government. If Naruto was going to become Hokage, he should have all the knowledge needed to succeed well. If it took strapping Naruto down to the chair to force him to read it, then so be it. The boy had far too much energy and more often than not, Kazuki would find him running around outside instead of studying diligently inside. Luckily, the bodyguards would help his tutor bring him back in, so not much time was lost in his studies.

As time progressed, and Naruto became a much more antsy child, his father reluctantly contacted Sarutobi once more, asking for a training schedule so that his son would at least be productive in his need to be outside. It took a while in coming, but eventually, Kazuki got the schedule and much other needed materials usually reserved for kids in the academy. He resolved to give them to Naruto when he got a bit older.

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><p>Eventually, when Naruto was five, he was given a training list compiled by Konoha's taijutsu master Gai. Naruto had never met the man, but because he wanted to be a better ninja, and because his father had advised him to follow the scroll, he followed the ninja's training schedule as closely as he could. Every morning, along with two bodyguards, Naruto would run a few laps around the palace's grounds. At first, he couldn't even complete <em>one<em> because well, the palace was pretty large. But eventually, he was able to work up to about five. After that, he was required to do some weight training, which his bodyguards, who were usually samurai, were eager to help him out with. With their help, he was able to grow strong muscles, even though he was so young. And on his sixth birthday, he got chakra-enhanced weights. Even though he was only allowed to put around five pounds on his feet, it was enough to make him start all over again, for he was having trouble with completing the first lap. At times like this, he just wanted to give up and lay there on the floor and never move again.

Unfortunately, Gai arrived at the very moment he had his face in the dirt, bemoaning his screaming muscles. When Naruto heard the footsteps though, he quickly changed his position, rolling over so that he could easily push himself into a standing position. However, when he tried to push himself up, he fell because of the weights he had on his feet. He landed on his bottom harshly, knocking the wind out of him. Naruto's face became hot, embarrassed that he had messed up so badly in front of the new sensei.

However, he needn't have worried. Immediately, the man jumped forward and helped him up with practiced ease, all the while smiling the biggest smile ever known to mankind. Now, Naruto understood why his parents had told him he would know who Gai was the minute he saw him. Who else decided to wear green spandex and keep their hair in a bowl cut? But to five-year-old Naruto, Gai's appearance only made him smile, and not laugh.

Once Naruto was standing, Gai announced proudly, "It is I, the Green Beast of Konoha, who is going to make your youthfulness shine! Do not worry, for I can teach you many things, little one. Now tell me, how far are you along in taijutsu, little Naruto?"

Naruto blinked as the words washed over his brain, and he silently thanked the sensei who had taught him how to read and write since he was three; it was a wonder that Naruto could even understand half of the words Gai had said so quickly. "Uhm, I don't know anything in taijutsu, actually." He trailed off, still embarrassed, before quickly adding, "Gai-sensei."

Gai paused and suddenly he crouched down so he was looking face to face with a young Naruto. "Would you say you are a hard worker, Naruto?"

"Well, I do train every day. I follow your schedule!" he blurted out, and then gave a tentative smile at the serious looking man in front of him, his little teeth biting his lip in worry.

Gai suddenly grinned, and the smile almost blinded Naruto, "Then we will have no problems! Let us start," he proclaimed happily, and then started to teach Naruto the first forms of a taijutsu kata.

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><p>When Naruto was six, his mother came down with a cold. Or at least, that's what his six-year-old-mind thought it was. Every morning, after having a quick, small breakfast with his father and mother, his mother would rush to their grand bathroom. Naruto was young, but even he knew that his mother was throwing up in their restroom. Kazuki would tell Naruto to go off to his training (his even <em>more<em> rigorous training with heavier weights and more laps) and then head off to check up on his wife.

This continued for a month or so, before Kazuki sat Naruto down after breakfast.

"Son," he started seriously, "I need to tell you something."

Naruto blinked at the serious tone, before catching on. "Father, I know I'm adopted."

"I – wait, that wasn't what I was going to say." His father uncharacteristically stumbled over his words before Naruto's words sunk in. "Who told you?" he asked, his eyes wide in shock.

Naruto sighed, "I have blonde hair. Mother and you both have black. Unless you bleach my hair every day without me knowing, I'm pretty sure I'm adopted."

His father paused, his mouth wide open, before he shut it with a smile. "See, I knew you knew. Your mother thought you were still oblivious." He reached out and ruffled his son's hair.

Naruto laughed at that, a small smile on his face. "Well, Mother still thinks I'm still a little kid, so it shouldn't be that surprising."

"True," agreed the daimyo, before becoming serious again. "Your mother's pregnant."

"Pregnant?"

"It means she's going to have a kid, Naruto."

Naruto blinked, his mouth pursed into an 'o' shape. "Oh," he said quietly.

"Naruto," started the man softly, before leaning over and placing his son's small hands into his own large ones. "Just because we are not blood-related does not mean we do not love you. I don't say it very often, but you must know I love you. And just because you are going to be having a sibling soon does not automatically make you second-best in our eyes just because we adopted you. We love you, Naruto."

Naruto trembled a bit before letting a small smile shine through, "Daddy," he reverted back to his childish nickname for his father, "I want to ask something."

"Go ahead," Kazuki answered as gently as he could.

"I'm not going to be the next daimyo, am I?"

_Naruto was really intelligent_, mused the daimyo. He supposed it was his own fault for hiring a private tutor for the boy when he was only three. "No, you are not," he answered truthfully. "But not because we do not love you."

"But because I'm adopted, right?"

"Yes, but also because you are destined to become something great." He brushed a stray hair out of his son's face, trying to keep eye contact with his son's expressive blue eyes. Really, the villagers back at Konoha were idiots for thinking such a mature and intelligent child was a demon.

Naruto scoffed, even though tears were threatening to fall from his eyes, "You're lying, Daddy. Daimyo's the greatest thing to be. You're a daimyo, daddy! But now you say I'm not going to take after you, and you _still_ say I'm going to be something great."

At the end of the mini-tirade, a few tears dropped from the boy's eyes, landing onto Kazuki's hands which still covered his own. Naruto had tried to jerk his hand away, but Kazuki kept his firm grip, forcing his softly crying son to look back at him.

"Naruto, have you seen my job?"

Naruto paused in his crying as he noticed his father's serious tone. Confused, he slowly nodded his head.

"Do you really think daimyo's are great? Do you think the people think I am great? Most of them fear me, Naruto. Now, you may think it is respect, but it is not. I have done nothing to deserve the position of daimyo; my father handed it down to me when he got too old to continue ruling. The position gives me a way to ensure your mother and your happiness, but it involves a lot of groveling and stress as well. I would name you my successor in an instant, but the advisors won't stand for it."

"But the people love you," pointed out Naruto, his lip still quivering but his tears stopped because of his amazement at his father's words.

"Yes, but only because I've worked hard to maintain this land, Naruto."

Naruto quivered, and they both sat still in silence as little Naruto processed his father's words. After a while, he spoke up again, "Then why did you do it? Why did you become daimyo, Daddy?"

Kazuki let a smile grace his face, "Because it was expected of me. I was the only male offspring, and I couldn't let my father down. If I could've run off, I probably would have. I have to make a lot of hard decisions, decisions that sometimes make me sick to my stomach."

Naruto finally gave a little laugh, "Daddy, you're not making it sound any less cool. I still want to be daimyo."

Kazuki laughed with his son, "Hold on, I'm going about this wrong. Okay, I wasn't planning on telling you this anytime soon, but I guess now is a good as a time as ever. Naruto, your real father was a ninja."

"Ninja? Really? That's so cool!" blurted out Naruto before he even noticed what he was saying. He flushed a second later, "Not that being the daimyo isn't cool."

Kazuki simply smiled, "He was not any ninja though. He was the Hokage. The Fourth Hokage."

Naruto paused, and Kazuki could practically see the gears turning in his son's head as he tried to remember what he knew about the Fourth Hokage. "He died protecting the village," Naruto finally said in a flat and expressionless voice. "Why did he sacrifice himself when he had me?"

"Naruto, that is _why_ he sacrificed himself. He had to protect you, and his Village. If he had to give himself up for the land he loved, then he would. That is what a true leader is. Not a Daimyo, but a Hokage. And that is what you are destined for, Naruto."

"I," started Naruto, before tears flooded his blue eyes. "I don't know what to say," he finished lamely.

"Naruto, the people loved him. And he loved them, too. Do you know Konoha has their Hokage's faces carved into a mountain? Wouldn't you like to have your face carved into a mountain?"

The question brought a smile to Naruto's face, even with the tears still running down. "Maybe."

"That's my boy," said Kazuki, and he ruffled the boy's head. "Now come, let's go tell your mother you know about the baby."

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><p>A few months after that fateful conversation with his father, Naruto decided he wanted to learn how to mold chakra. When he told his father, Kazuki had simply ruffled his hair, a habit the old man had taken to ever since that conversation, and told him he would meet Asuma in the afternoon.<p>

Asuma was one of the twelve guardians, a group of ninja that guarded his father almost religiously, and he was a super laidback guy. Naruto was a little put out that he was getting someone like that, but when he finally met the guy, Naruto found himself actually liking him.

And when he learned that the man was the Hokage's son, he couldn't help himself from asking a few questions.

"Asuma-sensei," he started when they had reached a lapse in their training. Naruto had been trying all morning to mold his chakra, and while he accomplished it in the first three tries, Asuma had suggested practicing it a bit more so that the action would become almost instinctual. Now the two were simply lying on their backs, staring up at the sky with relaxed expressions. "Do you ever feel as if you have to become Hokage?"

Asuma spluttered, and almost dropped the cigarette in his mouth. He wasn't allowed to light it, under Shimiji's orders, but he claimed that the feel of it in his mouth calmed him. "Why would I want that?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

"Because your father was Hokage?" asked Naruto meekly.

"Just because my old man was the Hokage doesn't mean that I want to be one. Me, I prefer a less stressful life."

"But don't you feel as if you're disappointing him? Like you're not going to be as great as he was? Don't you feel pressured to make him proud?"

"Naruto," started Asuma, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed Naruto, rubbing his head hard with one hand. "You silly brat. I'm not a parent, but I know parents are proud of their kids no matter what. Are you telling me that you want to be daimyo just because your father is?"

"I…can't be daimyo anyway," answered Naruto with a resigned tone.

"Look, Naruto, do you truly want to become daimyo? Do you care about riches and esteem?"

Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together, "No, not really."

"Or are you just chasing the dream because you want to make your father proud? Now, it may sound selfish, but sometimes you have to think about yourself."

"I…"

Asuma suddenly straightened up, "Okay, let's start training. Enough with all this philosophical stuff; you're going to turn me into my father or something. Watch closely, I'll teach you a jutsu named Henge. It allows you to change your appearance." He suddenly placed his hands into a handseal, doing it slowly enough so Naruto could see the seal, before smoke suddenly billowed out. When it cleared, another Naruto was standing there, a similar grin on his face. After a moment, Asuma dispelled the transformation.

Naruto's jaw dropped, "You looked exactly like me, Asuma-sensei! Let me try…" he placed his hands into the same handseal, before closing his eyes to concentrate. He focused on the chakra at his disposal, using the same technique he had used earlier to mold it. He ignored the fact that Asuma hadn't really explained how to use it for Henge, instead guessing that he would have to use about a handful of his chakra.

As he concentrated, chakra became visible around him, startling Asuma into actually dropping his cigarette. Before the man could tell the boy to stop, Naruto shouted out, "Henge!" and transformed. In front of him, stood a picture-perfect replica of the Daimyo.

Asuma gaped at it, even as the "Daimyo" jumped up and down in joy.

"Asuma, Asuma, I did it!"

It took a while for Asuma to react, "How much chakra did you put _into_ that technique?"

It was a little weird to see the Daimyo scratch his head sheepishly, "Uh, I don't know. I can't really control it…it just bursts out."

"I wonder…" murmured Asuma as he stared at the man. "Naruto, give me your hand."

Naruto did, and Asuma marveled how it felt real to the touch. "Oh, oops."

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto.

"Forgot to tell you that the transformation technique's actually an illusion," laughed Asuma. "But this is good. I think it's actually better this way."

"I don't really follow you, Asuma-sensei."

"Well, the real technique is like a layer on top of a layer. In fact, I'm a little surprised that you could actually make this henge real."

"Of course! That's because I'm awesome," grinned Naruto.

Asuma rolled his eyes, "Of course you are. Well, the real technique was actually a test of your chakra control...anyway, your Henge is perfect like this. Keep it this way. Okay, well to dispel the Henge, you place your hands into this handseal, and simply act as if you're drawing the chakra you used back into your body."

Naruto closed his eyes again, and soon a 'poof' was heard as Naruto dispelled the technique. "That was so cool, sensei! Teach me something else!"

Asuma sighed; Naruto was lucky that he was the daimyo's son or else Asuma wouldn't be taking this as seriously as he was. "But I just taught you one," he couldn't help but to point out a little petulantly.

"But you said it yourself! My henge's perfect already."

Asuma sighed once more, before moving to teach Naruto the handseals for Kawarimi, the substitution technique.

When he signed up to become one of the Twelve Guardians, he certainly didn't think it would require this much working. It was really going to be a long six years.

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><p>Six months later found little Naruto looking down at a chubby little face. The baby was adorable. There were no other words to describe it.<p>

Naruto let out a little happy laugh as he gave the boy his finger, and watched as the little hand closed around it. He laughed again at the sensation, a smile spreading across his little face.

Shimiji turned to look at her son, "Naruto…"

Naruto glanced up, "Oops. Did I wake you up, Mother?"

"No one's here," smiled Shimiji, albeit tiredly, "You can call me Mommy."

"Er, well, okay, Mommy. Sorry for waking you."

"It's no problem, Naruto."

They spent a few minutes in silence, before both of them tried to speak at the same time. Flushed, Naruto let his mother speak first.

"Ever the gentleman," laughed his mother. "Naruto, I'm sorry you can't become daimyo."

Naruto's face became serious, "He's going to be the daimyo, right?"

Shimiji nodded sadly, "Naruto…"

Naruto suddenly brightened up, "Mommy, I don't want to become daimyo."

"You don't?"

"I realized it now. I want to protect people using my own strength. Ever since Daddy had that conversation with me, I realized that I wanted to become daimyo just because Daddy was one. I didn't really want to become one. I," he paused, before looking back down at the baby's face, "think I want to become Hokage.

"And not just because Daddy suggested it either or because my birth father was Hokage. But because I want to protect people. I've always wanted to. And I never knew it until I saw my baby brother's face. I guess I should thank you, shouldn't I? Thank you…" he trailed off, before suddenly scrunching his face in the most adorable expression. "What's his name, Mommy?"

"Shouji."

"Thank you, Shouji."

And that was the day that Naruto decided that instead of chasing after a dream that he had only wanted because he wanted to be like his father, he would chase after a dream that he truly wanted and belonged to him.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I just wanted to throw this idea out there, and see how it's received. xD.

Quick question: where does everyone get the translations to the jutsus they make up?

Thanks for reading! Please remember to review and fav :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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><p>As his seventh year progressed, Naruto found his training at a standstill. Asuma deemed him too young to learn elemental jutsus and Gai worried about overworking his muscles before they had a chance to develop fully. As such, Asuma had him repeating the basics and Gai had him doing endless drills. At first, Naruto was furious about their lesson plans. After learning about his lineage and gaining a fiery determination to become the next Hokage, this setback seemed major and unnecessary. Naruto knew he was young, but he also knew he didn't have time to waste if he wanted to become Hokage. After all, so many ninjas out there were already better than him, to be setback simply because his instructors thought him too young was a major slight to his already damaged pride.<p>

But weeks after being drilled endlessly about the basics, Naruto came to a realization that his chakra control was getting better. Asuma had praised him countless times about his henge (although he hadn't actually found out about his Sexy no Jutsu...and if Naruto had his way, he'll never find out about it), but the fact remained that he still couldn't henge the way normal people did. The only explanation he got from Asuma was that he was brute-forcing the jutsu, and somehow the raw amount of chakra he poured into it helped transform it to something completely different. It didn't make much sense to him, but Asuma couldn't elaborate because he was more of a hands-on type of a guy than an intellectual one.

But as time progressed, it became easier and easier to envision trickling a drop at a time of his chakra into the jutsu. It was difficult because his chakra seemed more like an ocean than anything else, but at least he was getting better at it. He would never be known for his chakra control, but at least he wouldn't be abysmal at it.

With the slowing down of his training, Naruto was also given much more free time. With his new jutsus, Naruto ended up sneaking out of the palace and down to the common areas more often than not. It tested his stealth as well as built on his ability to lie, which were both things that were essential to the ninja way. He differed it up every day; sometimes he was a little street urchin trying to get by in the harsh world, and other times, he was a rich merchant with money to spare. He learned a lot about how people treated others based on appearances. When he had money, most of the commoners bent over backwards to ensure he was happy. If he ever returned to his rich merchant's disguise, shopkeepers would shout out his fake name and even remember what he had last bought when he had visited their shop. But when he was a street urchin, hardly anyone gave him the time of day. He had even been cornered by other poor boys at the time, and had watched with wide eyes as they had threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't get off their territory. The shopkeepers were even worse; they didn't even allow him to browse their wares, convinced he was going to steal from them. And it was worse when he proved he had the money to shop there. One had even threatened to call the authorities if he didn't admit that he had stolen the gold.

But what he found most interesting was the reactions to different genders. He liked posing as an attractive young woman the most. Men were throwing themselves at his feet and shopkeepers treated him like a princess even when he didn't have any gold. However, other women sometimes treated him like dirt while some were still as polite as ever. He learned a lot about women each time he posed as one, although the way women talked to each other would always baffle him. He chalked it up to him not understanding because of age and left it at that. It hurt his mind too much when he thought about it.

No one caught onto his visits because of the fuss around his new baby brother. And because he had learned how to affect inanimate objects with his henge. It wasn't difficult for him, if only because he had multitudes of chakra to spare. He couldn't remember ever running out of chakra before, even after hours of experimentation. If he just overpowered his henge even more than usual, he was able to transform even the smallest of objects to look like him. It took no time at all, and even less energy from him to accomplish it. Since he never told Asuma about it, the teacher thought nothing of him spending hours cooped up in his room, especially when he was visible through the windows and looked like he was just reading. And since Naruto was known to be a bookworm, no one ever questioned the amount of time he spent there.

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><p>For his eighth birthday, his parents gifted him a cat named Tora. Tora was beautiful, with orange and black markings and a fierce disposition to anyone who she deemed a threat. She was tiny, but she acted as if she wasn't. Naruto fell in love with her the very moment he laid eyes upon her, and within days, the two were inseparable.<p>

The two were known troublemakers. Naruto had already fallen in love with the art of pranking, and spent most of his free time plotting pranks on his enemies. Although he couldn't communicate with Tora, Tora seemed to mostly understand what he wanted her to do, and he often enlisted her help on his pranks.

He used a combination of chakra as well as logic to pull them off. He prided himself on his stealth; only Asuma seemed to figure out what he had been doing. Luckily, Asuma was too lenient to really crack down on him, and the teacher seemed to enjoy the damage his pranks inflicted too much to hinder him.

It was after one successful prank that Naruto realized that he could integrate Tora into his ninja training. He had read up on the Inuzuka clan in Konoha and had learned about how their dog companions fought alongside them. Although much wasn't written about their techniques, Naruto figured he was intelligent enough to come up with new ones for Tora. After all, he had the chakra and time to spare.

He had realized long ago that Konoha was _extremely_ secretive about their jutsus. It was a rare day in which he found one in the library, and his repertoire consisted of Asuma and the scrolls he were gifted from his parents. Having the daimyo as his father was extremely helpful in getting stuff he wanted and ninjas were no exception. Still, even then the ninjas were extremely careful of only giving Naruto the general jutsus, and his father didn't protest, claiming that Naruto was too young for any of the more complicated jutsus anyway.

He didn't begrudge his father for that, because the truth was that he _was_ not ready for the more sensitive jutsus. He was training as hard as he could, but a boy could only go so far with only a handful of teachers and zero field experience. He knew to be respected as a ninja he would have to run missions and gain a reputation that way. When he became a genin, he was definitely going to badger his father into getting him better jutsus.

But for now, he was going to have to settle with daydreams and his own inventions to satisfy his curiosity. He couldn't wait until he became a genin!

It took months to convince Tora to join him for practice. The cat didn't seem to mind watching him jump from branch to branch, but couldn't be bothered to join him even when Naruto tried to persuade her with treats. Cats were their own creatures, and even with Naruto pleading, Tora hardly moved an inch.

Naruto grumbled about it constantly, telling Tora bitterly that he wished that his mother had gotten him a dog instead. Tora had seemed amused at his words, but still punished the poor boy by refusing to let Naruto pet or hold her for the next couple of days.

Naruto knew to keep his mouth shut after that and gave up his dream of Tora fighting by his side.

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><p>His parents never visited Konoha because the ninjas usually came to visit them instead. This was because the ninjas' traveling time was much shorter than theirs. Naruto accepted this, figuring he would never end up visiting Konoha until he was ready for the genin test, and instead enjoyed meeting the various ninja that would come by the palace. They weren't always from the Land of Fire, and he ended up meeting loads of interesting people. Some of them didn't even want to talk to him, but some were kind and even spent some time training him.<p>

Naruto knew that visiting Konoha was out of the question. He threw that dream out of his mind and concentrated on other things.

So when his parents sat him down and told him that Asuma was planning a trip to visit the Hokage, he was ecstatic. He immediately agreed to go, even though the entourage that his presence would bring would be enormous and bothersome. Unfortunately, his father, the daimyo, wasn't allowed to take such big risks and it was only through persistent needling and begging that Naruto was allowed to tag along.

When the day finally came, Naruto could barely sit still, his anticipation hyping him up and making him more energetic than usual. He had run down to the stables and back up to his room about five times before his mother had caught him in a fierce and painful embrace. There were lots of tears and lamenting about how she was going to let her baby out of sight, and it took all of Naruto's willpower to bear it in good humor. He loved his mother, but she had a tendency to overreact and to baby him when he knew he was already more powerful than some adult ninjas.

Asuma rescued him a few minutes later, and Naruto couldn't help pouting at the wide grin his teacher bore. Trust Asuma to think this was funny!

He sulked as he followed his teacher down to the stables, and within an hour, the entourage had packed up and hit the road. Naruto had been given a whole carriage to himself and Tora. He hadn't actually told anyone about how he had been trying to integrate the little cat into his fighting style, but they hadn't objected to him bringing along his companion anyway. Grinning uncontrollably, Naruto reached upward to scratch Tora's head, and let out a small chuckle when Tora nuzzled him back. Maybe visiting Konoha would make the cat more agreeable to joining him during training. He made himself comfortable in the carriage, and settled in for the ride.

It was when they were at the halfway mark that everything went to hell. Naruto had excused himself to go into the woods to take a leak when a cacophony of sounds interrupted all around him. There were sounds of steel hitting steel over by the carriage and then there was a loud crunch as a stick near him was stepped on. Naruto immediately tensed, inwardly scolding himself for being so careless. He didn't even have Tora with him!

Before he could do anything, arms circled around him roughly, and his head was being jerked back.

A husky chuckle sounded throughout the glade, and Naruto realized with a sinking feeling that he had been captured by rogue bandits. They could be found circling paths widely used by merchants and nobles alike, and they never left a soul alive after their raids.

"My, my, my, look what we have here," whispered the bandit next to Naruto's ear, causing the blonde to flinch out of surprise. "The Daimyo's adopted son? You'll fetch a pretty price on the market, little boy."

"I'm not scared of you," he bit out angrily, hiding his fear under a facade of anger.

The bandit laughed loudly, "Well, you should be, little boy. There's no way you're getting out of this one. All your attendants should be biting the dust right about now."

"No," he countered, "you have no idea what ninjas are capable, sir, if you think that way." And concentrating hard, he flared his chakra and used it at the same time, transporting himself a few feet away and leaving a log inside of his captor's hands.

Adrenaline filled his body as he watched the bandit's face contort into anger. He knew he was fighting a losing battle; despite training since he was five, he was still a little boy and the bandit was probably calling for reinforcements right now. The only way he had a chance of surviving was if Asuma was able to come rescue him before it was too late.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that," the bandit mocked as he paused to unsheathe a long sword from his side. "I can't kill you, but I'm sure a little pain could be overlooked. Now come here, little boy, come -"

A loud roar cut the bandit off, and suddenly, a tiger two times the size of Naruto was jumping onto the bandit's back. The tiger made short work of the bandit, ripping his head off with just one swipe of its deadly claws. Naruto almost vomited at the sight of the decapitation but he steeled his stomach just in time by looking away from the corpse.

And he didn't have time to be sick. Two bandits had trailed after the tiger, and were now shouting angrily at their comrade's death.

He couldn't in good conscience let the bandits hurt the tiger after the animal had saved him. Naruto used the flicker technique once again to appear behind the bandits just as they were raising their swords to slash at the tiger.

Without thinking too much about his actions, Naruto slammed two kunais into the back of their heads, killing them instantly.

He watched, detached, as the bodies fell forward onto the dirt. Blood had sprayed onto his clothes and hands, staining them a dark red. It took Naruto a while to draw his eyes away from the scene in front of him, and when he did, he caught sight of the stains. The adrenaline drained away from his body, and he soon started to realize just what he had done.

He had taken someone's life away. Those bandits would never wake, and he was the one who had made them that way. Even though they weren't good people, they still deserved to live. And he was the one who killed them.

He didn't even realize he was crying until he fell to the ground. The bandits' blood pooled around his knees as he bent over, heaving and sobbing as the consequences of his actions hit him. When he had decided to be a ninja, he hadn't thought about what being a ninja actually meant. A ninja was a cold-blooded killer.

He was startled out of his pain when he felt the tiger from earlier approaching. He immediately scrambled back; even though he was in shock and pain, he wasn't about to let the tiger think he was an easy target. He made for his weapons as the tiger continued to approach, but couldn't get a good grip on them because his fingers wouldn't stop shaking.

He was going to die, just like these bandits.

But the tiger didn't snap its jaws down on him; instead it had bent its head to nuzzle Naruto's. He let out a yelp in surprise and then a startled laugh as the tiger continued its ministrations, purring all the while. Hesitantly, he hovered a small hand over the tiger's head, and was shocked when the tiger paused to lift its head until the two entities met.

When Naruto didn't immediately start petting the tiger, the animal turned to look at him with startling green eyes. Naruto jumped and continued to hesitantly pet the tiger, his eyes wide as the tiger seemed to relax, settling down near Naruto's legs and growling each time his petting slowed.

The pair stayed there for what seemed like hours before the sounds of fighting finally stopped. It didn't take long before Asuma's voice filtered throughout the air.

"Naruto! Naruto, goddamnit, where are you!? Why couldn't you have been a good little boy and stay in the carriage like I told you to?"

Naruto stifled a laugh at his teacher's exasperated voice, before speaking up. "I'm here, _sensei_."

There was a pause before Asuma answered. "Oh, thank the gods you're safe. Do you know what your mother would have done to me if something happened to -"

Asuma's words trailed off as he appeared in the clearing, and Naruto could see the moment Asuma's mind processed the scene in front of him.

"Oh, Naruto," sighed Asuma as he shook himself out of the stupor and made his way toward the nine year old. "Well, at least you found out about Tora."

He started as he realized that he hadn't seen his kitty since he had left the carriage. "Tora?"

Asuma nodded at the tiger currently dozing off near his bloodied legs. "The tiger? Oh, well, it was your mother's idea. A ninja came to us a long time ago, selling a tiger that was placed under a seal to look like a cat. The seal is under Tora's control so she could transform whenever you were in danger. And apparently she did her job," Asuma pointedly turned his glance to the three corpses.

"It was me, not Tora. I killed them."

Asuma's jovial expression dropped, and it was a while before he spoke again. "You're too young for this."

Naruto shrugged before pasting on a smile for Asuma's sake. The man had never worn that particular expression around him before and a minute later, Naruto realized that it was pity. "There have been younger jounins, Asuma-sensei. I'm pretty ancient compared to them."

"No one's too young to experience their first kill, Naruto."

"I'm pathetic, aren't I? They were planning to sell me, Asuma, and I'm still regretting their deaths." Naruto shivered as he thought back to what had just happened.

"You're not pathetic, Naruto," responded the jounin fiercely. "Everyone reacts strongly to their first kill."

"Then did you, Asuma?" shot back Naruto angrily as he pinned his sensei with distraught blue eyes. "Did you feel as if you're drowning in a sea of guilt? I took someone's _life_, sensei. They'll never be able to open their eyes again and it's _all_ _my fault_."

"No, Naruto, it's not your fault." Naruto flinched as Asuma surged forward and placed his hands on his shoulders. "As long as you never kill without a reason, no death is in vain. They would have killed you, Naruto. I don't speak for everyone, but believe me when I say I much rather them than you."

Naruto shook his head at Asuma's words, "That still doesn't give me the right to take someone's life. Am I playing at God now? No one deserves to decide who lives and dies. Least of all me. I took someone's life and now I must spend the rest of my life paying for it."

"Naruto…" Asuma seemed to be at a loss of words, and his hands lost his grip on the boy's shoulders.

"I'm done pretending. I'm not cut out to be a ninja. I'm sorry, after all the time you spent teaching me and I'm throwing it all away."

"No, don't be. Not everyone has to be a ninja, Naruto. That's the beauty of being human. Our choices define us, and if you don't want to be a ninja, you don't have to be. And I'll love you either way, Naruto. You'll always be my favorite student."

Naruto burst into tears at Asuma's proclamation, and launched himself forward to land in his teacher's arms. Covered in blood and who knows what else, he clung himself tight onto Asuma, and in his teacher's strong embrace, sobbed himself hoarse as the full reality of what had just happened hit him.

Naruto was nine when he gave up on becoming a ninja.

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><p>AN: omg, I apologize for such the long wait. Thank you EVERYONE who reviewed/faved/alerted! The amount of support is staggering! ^_^ Hopefully you guys enjoy!


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